With a wild and weird Week 12 just about wrapped, the DraftKings Dream Stream is back for a three-game slate of Madden sims this Monday. The first game kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET when the full strength sim version of the Dallas Cowboys visit the Los Angeles Chargers. At 2:00 p.m. ET, two teams who took tough losses Sunday square off, as the Arizona Cardinals host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The virtual Seattle Seahawks host the Buffalo Bills for the 4:00 p.m. ET matchup before the real Seahawks visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
A key factor to consider is that each roster is not impacted by COVID-19 opt-outs, injuries or illness and the highest-rated options have been placed at the top of the depth charts. The roster for each team includes all player movement that occurred prior to Week 1 of this season and you can find the game settings, depth charts, abilities and X-factors for each team in Madden 21 along with the upcoming schedule on the Madden Stream info page.
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Quarterback
Stud
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs. Buffalo Bills, $7,900 — Wilson is the most expensive QB on this slate, but he has also been by far the most productive. He is posting an impressive 24.3 DKFP per sim and usually puts up points both on the ground and through the air. He is averaging 71 rushing yards and 190.5 passing yards per sim with a total of 51 touchdowns in his 24 sims. When he faced the Bills earlier in these sims, he didn’t have his best game but still finished with 19.46 DKFP and led his team to the victory. He has been better than that lately with over 27 DKFP in three straight before a letdown against the Jets in his most recent sim. Wilson has hit the 100-rushing-yard bonus in two of his past four sims and he should be able to run on the Bills, who have struggled to slow down mobile QBs in these sims.
Other Option — Kyler Murray ($7,600)
Value
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys, $6,200 — Herbert has started the past 19 sims for the Chargers since the most recent roster update. Over that span, he has put up 32 passing touchdowns and a pair of rushing scores along with 219 passing yards per contest for an average of 18.0 DKFP per sim. This will be his first start against the Cowboys, whose defense is better in these sims than in real life since they’re fully healthy. However, Herbert has still been the most reliable cheap QB on this slate and has bounced back to produce over 18 DKFP in three of his past four contests after a few down games.
Other Option — Tom Brady ($6,600)
Running Back
Stud
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys, $7,200 — Ekeler had a successful real-life return from IR in Week 12 and he has also been very solid in these sims, especially since Herbert entered the lineup. He has 16 touchdowns in his 25 sims overall and has over 15 DKFP in eight of his past nine sims, highlighted by a pair of games over 35 DKFP during that stretch. He went off against the 49ers for 134 rushing yards, seven catches, two touchdowns and 39.5 DKFP three sims ago and has a similar ceiling if this game follows a similar script. Ekeler is the RB1 as well as the power back and third-down back, so he’s heavily involved in just about everything the Chargers do on offense.
Other Options — Ezekiel Elliott ($7,600), Kenyan Drake ($6,900)
Value
Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals, $5,300 — Fournette leads the timeshare in Tampa Bay with LeSean McCoy ($4,400) getting a little bit of passing-down work. Fournette has been the more productive option lately due to his four touchdowns in four sims, resulting in an average of 13.2 DKFP per contest over that four-game stretch. He is a volatile option due to his inconsistent workload but did have a touchdown and 7.6 DKFP in the earlier meeting between these teams. Fournette is the goal-line option, so especially if there are short-yardage chances, he should end up with a solid day in this favorable matchup.
Other Options — Chris Carson ($5,500), LeSean McCoy ($4,400)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers, $6,900 — Cooper has definitely enjoyed having a healthy Dak Prescott ($6,800) in these sims and has been one of the top WR1 plays on this slate, averaging 4.9 catches for 73.4 yards per sim. He has found the end zone 17 times in his 23 Madden contests, including eight scores in his eight most recent sims. He has over 17 DKFP in six of those eight contests, including back-to-back games with over 25 DKFP against the Chiefs and Raiders.
Other Option — DK Metcalf ($6,600), Stefon Diggs ($6,100)
Value
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals, $5,500 — A little bit like in real life, the Brady-to-Evans connection has been hit-or-miss in these sims, but Evans still brings a very high ceiling. Evans has over 12 DKFP in five of his nine sims dating back to his previous matchup with the Cardinals. In that contest, he had five catches for 99 yards, a touchdown and 20.9 DKFP. However, he had just a single catch for nine yards and 1.9 DKFP in his most recent sim, so there isn’t much of a floor. The ceiling is worth the risk, though, in this matchup against Arizona’s iffy secondary.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $3,700 — On the other side of that contest, Fitzgerald is a great value under $4K since he usually is very involved as Arizona’s WR2. Fitz has at least three catches in seven straight sims and has produced over 7.5 DKFP in five of those seven contests. He had three catches for 38 yards, a touchdown and 12.8 DKFP against the Bucs in their previous meeting. He typically doesn’t catch long passes or produce big plays, but his skill set is ideally suited for his role as a possession receiver. His PPR consistency makes him a very solid sub-$4K play since he’ll be fully healthy and available for this sim.
Other Options — Michael Gallup ($4,600), Christian Kirk ($4,400), Phillip Dorsett II ($3,100)
Tight End
Stud
Greg Olsen, Seattle Seahawks vs. Buffalo Bills, $4,200 — Olsen has been regularly involved as one of Wilson’s go-to options in these sims. In 23 contests, he has hauled in 4.1 catches for 44.2 yards per game resulting in 95 catches and over 1,000 yards. He has eight touchdowns and has produced over 8.0 DKFP in three of his past four games and in eight of his past 11. The Bills have great CBs in these sims, but they have struggled to defend TEs, so it’s a good matchup for Olsen
Other Option — Blake Jarwin ($4,400)
Value
Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys, $4,000 — Henry has scored three touchdowns in his past four contests, including a huge game against the Titans in which he hit the 100-yard bonus and finished with 25.5 DKFP. His volume can be inconsistent, but his red zone work makes him a solid play at $4K even though his yardage and reception totals don’t come close to matching Olsen’s production.
Other Options — Lee Smith ($2,800)
DST
Stud
Seahawks DST vs. Buffalo Bills, $3,100 — The Seahawks have been turnover-creating machines in these sims, recovering 27 fumbles as part of their 30 takeaways, 49 sacks and five defensive touchdowns in 24 sims. Seattle’s defense has been especially excellent at home, where they have averaged 7.1 DKFP per contest and scored four of their five defensive touchdowns. The Bills are a great matchup for Seattle as well since Josh Allen ($7,100) has turned the ball over 14 times in 23 sims. In their previous meeting, the Seahawks finished with 11 DKFP in their 23-17 victory.
Other Options — Chargers ($3,000)
Value
Buccaneers DST at Arizona Cardinals, $2,700 — Kyler Murray ($7,600) has also had some turnover issues in these sims since his ratings haven’t caught up to his real-life performance this season. Tampa Bay typically does a good job pressuring opposing QBs and has 61 sacks in 23 games. They only have seven takeaways and no defensive scores, but they have still managed 4.1 DKFP per sim. They haven’t been nearly as productive as the Seahawks, but they are a cheaper pivot with upside if you want a lower-cost play with likely lower ownership.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Z.Thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.